18 Registered Sex Offenders in One Home

(Lorain, Ohio) No less than other states, Ohio must deal with the problem of helping convicted sex offenders transition back into society after their prison terms have been completed. All ex-cons have a hard time returning to society, but it's even rougher for sex offenders. Most troublesome is the fact that state and local laws are being enacted which restrict where they may live.

To provide for the transition of sex offenders into society, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections is funding a facility in Lorain called the Compass House, formerly a drug and alcohol rehab center. Eighteen registered sex offenders from throughout the state will soon call Compass House home. Not everyone is pleased.

According to Lorain Police Chief Cel Rivera, "The housing of 18 registered sex offenders under one roof creates a direct threat to residents who already are living in one of the city's more dangerous neighborhoods." It's hard to disagree.

Compass House is in a residential neighborhood filled with children, schools and churches, and Rivera is concerned that executives at Compass House have become too concerned with money rather than the community's best interest.

"They're chasing the money," Rivera said. "They're going to lose support from the community and become a liability -- it only takes one."

That's right. It will likely take only one sex crime for the community to explode with rage. Given the circumstances, it sure seems to be an exceedingly high-risk location for a transitional housing program. There's way too much temptation.

Keep an eye on the news. Unlike social workers, I don't believe that sex offenders can be cured nor rehabilitated. Registered sex offenders are ticking bombs and there are 18 of them in one house in Lorain, Ohio.

Nevertheless, to be fair, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections is trying to solve a difficult problem and, frankly, I don't have a better solution. That is unless the transition program could be outsourced to another country.